Pd/SBA‐15 Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Furfuryl Alcohol to Tetrahydrofurfuryl Alcohol

Abstract With the aim of hydrogenating furfuryl alcohol into tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol by avoiding high pressure operations and harmful solvents, a mild and sustainabable operaration is adopted. At this juncture, 1Pd/SBA15, 2Pd/SBA‐15 and 3Pd/SBA‐15 catalysts (where 1, 2 and 3 are wt% of Pd) were prepared by wet impregnation method and characterized by powder X‐ray Diffraction, N 2 ‐physorption, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, CO‐Pulse Chemisorption, H 2 ‐Temperature Programmed Reduction, and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopytechniques. Among the three catalysts, 2Pd/SBA‐15 catalyst is capable of transforming furfuryl alcohol to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol with nearly 100% conversion and 85% selectivity.The high surface area of SBA‐15 and high dispersion of Pd nanoparticles with large number seems to be influencing such high catalytic activity of 2Pd/SBA‐15. The 2Pd/SBA‐15 catalyst offers stable activity and selectivity during 12 h time on stream, signifying the role of support in the stabilization of Pd nano particles.